Not much as Governor or Lieutenant Governor, as far as I am concerned. There his alleged sins and errors have been mostly within the political world, which doesn’t matter much to me at all. And it is within the political world that he is being sinned against.
Getting back to Government, however, recall the Governor had been a member of the state legislature (as had Governor Pataki). And that legislature has repeatedly voted, generally with no debate and no dissent, to enact deals, favors, and privileges for some and defer the cost to the future, so no one would be he wiser and no one would complain. And now it is the future, and a difficult future at that. It isn’t just Governor Paterson who deserves to be haunted by the Ghost of Politics Past, and it is no wonder the legislature keeps putting off a meeting with the Ghost of Politics Future, because what he has to show is really scary.
What the future involves is a search for victims to pay for those deals, privileges and favors. New York already had the highest state and local taxes in the country, and those taxes have already been increased. Public services in many areas are declining — a few generations of New York City children did not receive an education. And now soaring costs for early retirees and past debts (which enabled past tax breaks and spending) will drive an ever growing wedge between what ordinary people are forced to pay and what they receive in return.
The result will be a growing outrage, and anyone who faces election will pay the price. Unfortunately, the state legislature has arranged to eliminate elections.